M.I.A. @ Terminal 5 in NY, September 27th 2010

My heart pounded and stomach dropped at the sight of her, onstage in a "Fuck Google, Ask Me" shirt, dark sunglasses, and fabulously nonchalant way of carrying herself. This being my, what, fourth time seeing M.I.A. in concert, I fully expected a good show... let me just tell you, blog readers: THIS WAS THE BEST SHOW I HAVE BEEN TO IN A LONG TIME. And that's saying a lot. My god was she amazing... I admittedly had my doubts, as I have heard rumours that she has taken her live shows in a "preachier" direction, whatever that means (RE: stfu new album haters). Either everyone who has been saying negative things is trying to stir up controversy or she has taken a hint, but I swear to god I have never seen her so engaged with the crowd before, nor have I ever seen a more pleased and energetic group of fellow onlookers since, well, since I saw her at Coachella in 2009. I might be a bit biased, seeing as I held her hand when she crowd-surfed, drank out of her bottle of Patron, and sang in her microphone with her.... but I digress. Wow. I fully expected her to sing songs mostly off of Maya, but to my great surprise she did an astonishingly large amount of her old stuff.... I was utterly elated to watch her play favorite after favorite, songs like "World Town", "Galang", "XR2", "Boyz", and "Bird Flu". Despite what some have been saying, I am also a really big fan of the new album, and quite enjoyed dancing (well, more like being pushed in a crowd of overly sweaty, extremely energetic superfans) to "Story to be Told", "Lovealot", and my personal favorite, "Teqkilla"... hence the bottle of Patron. In my opinion she should have played "XXXO" to please her fans, as well as tracks like "Tell Me Why" and "Believer" which have proven to be some of the stronger new songs, but whatever. She killed it, she is a legend, and I consider myself honored to have stood so close and interacted with a woman I think will remain an icon of our generation. Let's just hope she doesn't give me another heart attack and threaten to quit music for the purpose of expanding her family...sidenote: having Ickett did ANYTHING to her body, it's completely inhuman and unfair, as made evident in the following photos:

Oh yeah, Rye Rye kicked ass too. Obviously not as much as M.I.A. (sorry girl), but she is an incredible dancer and I have new found respect for her. I really enjoyed listening to her perform "Bang" (which, if you haven't heard, features M.I.A. in the chorus), and songs I had never heard before like "Wassup Wassup" and "Shake it to the Ground". If you are new to Rye Rye and like the sort of music played at this show, definitely check out her Myspace. I am hesitant to say she had a better outfit than M.I.A., but she looked damn good with her extremely white hair and neon 2- piece sweatsuit:

All in all, it was a mind-blowingly memorable show; one I will most certainly never forget. They're still on tour, so if you happen to be near any of the places listed on the tour dates (check them out at miauk.com) definitely get tickets. And for the love of god, if you have not listened to M.I.A.'s new album, please check it out (and keep an open mind!).

Of Montreal and Janelle Monae @ Terminal 5 in NY, September 18th 2010

To say that I have been to my fair share of fabulously bizarre shows is quite an understatement... Fever Ray, N.A.S.A., and obviously Lady Gaga are a few that come to mind. But I think Of Montreal and Janelle Monae have successfully topped them all on the weirdness scale, and I mean that in the best of ways. The combination of these two acts at first came to me as a bit of a surprise; I couldn't really picture them directly appealing to the same demographic. I was completely proven wrong, however, as I have come to learn that both Janelle and Kevin Barnes & co. employ similar performance techniques that I found to be equally entertaining and attention-grabbing.

Janelle's set, which included incredible songs such as "Wondaland", "Tightrope", and "Cold War", was extraordinarily fun to watch, as everyone on stage was in various costumes of all black and white, contrasting beautifully to the vast array of colors projected onto the stage.... very aesthetically pleasing. What I appreciated most about her show, though, was her tangible energy and absolutely jaw-dropping vocals; I have a whole new appreciation for this girl. Her songs are brilliantly arranged and so great to dance to, the kind of music that could put anyone in a good mood no matter the time or circumstance. She's so god damn fierce I can't get over it... her sophomore album, The ArchAndroid, is definitely going on my list of top albums for the year.

I won't lie, Janelle Monae may have been a bit eccentric but her edginess seems almost mundane compared to the SHITSHOW that was Of Montreal. Giant fish in gas masks, girls dressed as pigs simulating things in cages I won't post on this blog, and magical wing-like capes: I honestly don't know where they come up with this shit but someone has a very, VERY active imagination. Needless to say, it was so unbelievable to watch and to dance to; they always put on a great show, and we all loved singing along to old classics like "Gronlandic Edit", "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger", and "For Our Elegant Caste", as well as new songs off of the recently released False Priest, which came out earlier this month. I can't say personally that False Priest trumps Hissing Fauna in any way, I think the latter is actually much better in its entirety. Regardless, I admire Of Montreal's originality (to say the least), and aspire to be that weird in public one day and get away with it like Kevin does.

Moving in the Right Direction

I hate to admit this, as it makes me rather ashamed of myself, but it has been so long since I have heard anything new from Matt Costa or seen him live that I had almost filed him away in the back of my brain. All I have to say is, I am everso glad he is back in my life. His new record, Mobile Chateau, is both a reminder of why I have always loved his music, as a lot of it sounds similar to his old stuff (in a good way), and a refreshing presentation of his somewhat newly-invented sound. I am impressed with the fact that he's moved beyond being a mere singer-songwriter and now is dipping a toe into several other genres, not that I'm not a fan of the fantastic singer-songwritery sound of old songs like "Yellow Taxi", "Emergency Call" and "Cold December". The delightfully bluesy feel of "The Season" kind of reminds me of a male version of some of Zooey Deschanel's vocals in She & Him music, whereas I get a Beach Boys-meets-The Shins vibe from the song "Witchcraft"... so really, this album is bringing quite the variety to the table. A lot of it is much darker than his older stuff, however I really admire the increased complexity in his guitar playing and think he has grown quite a bit as an artist. Do yo thang, Matt Costa. I will always be a fan. So far I recommend "Can You Tell Me", "Witchcraft", and of course "Mobile Chateau" the most, but a cover-to-cover listen is, in my opinion, a must for this fast-approaching autumn season. Perfect timing.

Mixing Business With Pleasure

My first instinct would definitely not be to make an album with my significant other, but in Jenny Lewis's case it has worked out beautifully. Jenny and her boyfriend Johnathan Rice have come together to create a truly sophisticated and masterful first album under the name Jenny and Johnny, entitled I'm Having Fun Now. Lewis is someone I consider to be a juggernaut for modern-day indie rock/ country/ folk infused music, as Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite groups and her most recent solo album, Acid Tongue, has some incredible tracks on it. However, there's something about the two of them together that really brings out Jenny's true vocal and lyric-writing prowess; the harmonies and compositions of almost every song on this record feel both incredibly organic and meticulously well thought-out. None of this comes as a surprise to me, both of them are incredibly talented; I just would never have expected this to be the direction she would have gone in. Regardless, I have nothing but good things to say about I'm Having Fun Now. It is truly fantastic. My recommendations are "Animal", "Big Wave", and "The Highs and Lows of Being #1". Listen to "Big Wave" here:

Second Single from Mark Ronson & The Business Intl!

Mark Ronson's newest single off the forthcoming album, Record Collection, entitled "Bike Song", is now out and is accompanied by a video that was just released today! If you know anything about Ronson you know he is famous for his collabs... this time he has enlisted Spank Rock (a personal favorite) and Kyle Falconer (lead singer of The View) which I think is such an unexpectedly brilliant combination. The video is a little bit dull but I love the song, so check it out here:

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl: "Bike Song"

New Beach House!

I completely forgive Alex Scally for shaving off the moustache, because Beach House has released a new song, "White Moon", and it is completely and utterly fantastic. I love it. I have nothing more to say. This track along with 5 others, including "Gila", "Real Love", and "Walk in the Park", are featured on their new iTunes Live Sessions EP, which was released today. Listen to the track here. (thanks Pitchfork.)

It's About Time.

It has been well over 2 years since The Ting Tings released their debut album, We Started Nothing, and let's be honest I loved their original stuff but if I have to hear "Shut Up and Let Me Go", "Great DJ", or even my favorite track "Keep Your Head" ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE I will cry. Despite the relatively long gap in this indie pop duo's ability to present their fans with new material, the first single "Hands" off of their new album, Kunst, shows great promise. Katie White and Jules De Martino have been working extremely hard the past 2 years on evolving their sound, writing the album in Paris and recording it in Berlin. Lucky them. This temporary hiatus/ extensive work period, however, has definitely paid off, because as fun as songs like "That's Not My Name" were the first time around, most of the production work could've been and probably was created on Garageband; if "Hands" is any reflection of what Kunst will be like in its entirety, this group has reached quite a respectable level of musical sophistication. Don't quote me on this, but I have heard that White and De Martino have been working with the likes of Jay-Z and Rihanna on their new material, and I'm pretty sure Calvin Harris is responsible for mixing the first single.... if anything, their music will have a completely revamped style and will be taking some interesting risks. I have high hopes for their sophomore album, as I'm sure we all do, and I am willing to bet that they won't disappoint.

Watch the promo video for "Hands" here:

Fun Fact of the Day

We all remember the Nickelodeon Magazine commercials, right?

Well.... guess who the girl @ :08 and :41 is.

Anyone? Anyone?

Tis none other than Alexis Krauss, singer of Sleigh Bells. Hilarious.

"Je Te Plumerai La, Tete."

Mark Ronson is back bitches, and absolutely isn't falling short of expectations. His newest project/ group, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl., has recently released their newest single "Bang Bang Bang" featuring Q-Tip and MNDR... I wouldn't be exaggerating if I told you I've listened to this song over 50 times in the past few days. It's absolutely nothing like his old stuff and that's what I love about him; somehow, he has managed to infuse 90's east coast hip-hop, big-bang/60's instrumentation mixed with ska, now a bit of the 80's synth pop revival that is everso popular this year into his repertoire...and he does it all with that Mark Ronson charm that is virtually inimitable. Basically, this guy doesn't fit into any genre because he creates his own, transitioning from one thing to the other and consistently testing the musical waters, miraculously making it all work. He absolutely wows me with everything he does; "Bang Bang Bang" is no exception. Ronson's new group is set to release their full-length album, Record Collection, in September and I absolutely can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve this time around. In the meantime, watch the music video for the new single below.

The Dead Weather @ The Hollywood Palladium in LA, July 21st 2010

So I know this is over 2 weeks late/ long past overdue, but i have a) needed time to mentally prepare for this post and b) not had the time to do so; however, i will do my best to express in words how absolutely speechless and shellshocked i was left after seeing Alison Mosshart and Jack White do what they do best onstage at the Palladium. Needless to say, I have absolutely no regrets waiting 7 hours to be in the front nor did fighting a girl in the crowd dampen my spirits. If you haven't gotten the chance to experience the raw power and absolutely captivating stage presence that this supergroup brings to every show, I'm sorry to say but your life has a somewhat significant hole. Jack stepping off their animalhead-adorned stage pouring champagne down the throats of those in the front; Alison Mosshart's unending sex appeal placing one foot on a speaker and back-bending to the point where her head almost hit the floor; the entrancing guitar riffs combined with the undeniably domineering lyrics of "60 Feet Tall"..... what a fucking intro. It's incredibly hard to explain this group's appeal without seeing them live, but it has become inherently obvious to me that performance is a great deal of what sets The Dead Weather apart from other current groups... not to mention the incredible production effects, the unmatched chemistry between all 4 members of this indescribably talented group, and each member's way of deeply connecting to their audience, paradoxically summoning love and rage in everyone who watches them. Though I was quite profoundly affected by the entire show, I thought "60 Feet Tall", "Will There Be Enough Water?", and "Treat Me Like Your Mother" off their first album Horehound and "Hustle and Cuss", "Blue Blood Blues", and "I Can't Hear You" off their most recent masterpiece, Sea of Cowards, were the best representations of this group's....black magic. My pictures from the show pretty much say it all: